The MTT is quite clearly a Galoob mold, but it's a nice one anyway. I saw two variants - the one I picked up had a uniform colour with some light splotching, a second I left there had heavy splotching. Just depends on personal preference. The Imperial Lander and Rebel Transport are solid as well, but not very exciting.

The surprise packet of the bunch is the Gunship - it's superb! It's a very light grey with all of the detailing in black, making everything stand out superbly. The Twi'lek nose art also is there - it's not hugely clear, but given the size of the vehicle that's understandable, and it does stand out clearly enough.

A huge disappointment for the TIE Defender though, it's horrible. Don't get me wrong, the design is nice enough, detail and paint are good, but there's two problems. Firstly most of it is very soft plastic. Even hard plastic would have been okay, but it's very soft which is especially bad on the wings. The worst part though?

IT'S PERMANENTLY ATTACHED TO THE STAND.

Yep, that's right, it can't be removed...well, unless you want to snap it off. I can't fathom why Hasbro thought this was a good idea, but there ya have it - you've been warned folks. Don't get me wrong, it looks nice as a display piece (assuming the wings don't sag...) but that's all it's good for.

Blue2th

08-13-2008, 08:44 AM

Hello again Darth Windu!

Yeah, that Tie Defender I kinda figured was going to be a big disappointment.
There were some pics from somebody selling one on ebay a little while ago, and the plastic wings were all melted.

Jedi Insider had some high-rez pics the other day and you can see those wings are not straight. You can even see how the stand is different.
http://jediinsider.net/g/index.php?mode=view&album=Hasbro%2FClone_Wars%2FTitaniums&pic=Tie_Defender_02.jpg&dispsize=600&start=0

Darth Windu

08-13-2008, 09:06 AM

It's a big shame, but still.

I did think the stand was odd when I first saw the SDCC pics, but I never thought Hasbro would come up with the bright idea of having it permanently attached.

Blue2th

08-13-2008, 12:52 PM

Yeah this is a departure for Hasbro with the Titaniums. I don't mind plastic, heck I'm a big fan of the Konami models, the Johnny Lightning Star Trek and Furuta ships, but they shouldn't cheap out with the sculpting. Still metal with a good die would have been better. At least make it as good as all the other Titanium TIE's before it.

I wonder if they are using soft plastic for child safety reasons?

Darth Michael

08-13-2008, 05:44 PM

Hmm. In that picture Blue2th posted, it looks like the outer panels on the upper wing are hinged. Perhaps this is to allow the thing to fit into the package? Or is the final version slightly different? (Or am I seeing hinges where there are none?)

Darth Windu

08-13-2008, 10:21 PM

Nah you're correct, the top wing is hinged so it can fit into the packaging. That wing is all-plastic as well.

figrin bran

08-14-2008, 01:28 AM

Thanks for the news, Windu!

Hopefully the permanently attached stands don't become on ongoing trend!

Darth Duranium

08-14-2008, 05:41 PM

Thanks for the info Darth Windu and welcome back... you Aussies are getting the ships almost as fast as Hong Kong. My sister just moved to Oz so I'll have to start badgering her soon.

I see that you post over at RS; I've been tempted to join in over there but the flame wars (the latest is on the subject I'm about to address!) leaves me cold. It's a totally different (and less abusive) vibe here, IMHO.

The info (and members) flow freely between the two forums... and it's not usually very hard to figure out who's who and where certain info came from. In any case, you're welcome here and we'll treat you with all the respect that Aussies deserve. Nah, we'll be way nicer than that!

I'm with you Blu; I will accept more plastic on Titaniums so long as they release more new ships, instead of the recent 3 to 1 repaints to new ships ratio. I'm expecting the Baron Fel's Stealth Hotrod Sand TIE Defender with Twi'llek Noseart and huge Rebel insignia on the wings. Milk that puppy, Hasbro.

I'm not so bothered about the glued stand situation cuz I put 'em on the stand anyway... but kids will hate having it permanently attached.

"Wedge jinked starboard and lined up on the TIE Defender, firing a proton torpedo at the enormous black stand that had been inexplicably glued to it."

Seems a little strange...

But it's better than the serious droopage on the stand that we saw on other TS ships like the Green A-Wing, the Executor, the Sith Infiltrator, and the first Galactica... Sag City. I hate droopage, especially when you've got a whole whack of non-droopy ships of the same exact type.

Darth Windu

08-15-2008, 01:00 AM

lol thanks for the Aussie-love :p

Yeah getting the Titaniums this fast was a huge surprise, we normally have to wait until a few months after the US has them before we get a chance - hell, we still haven't seen the Cloud Car wave yet!

With the TIE Defender it doesn't bother me so much about the plastic, it's just disappointing it's so soft. The stand though, just to correct you on a minor point, isn't glued on, it's literally part of the Defender. The stand is actually where you find the "2008 Hasbro; 2008 LFL" etc markings.

I am seriously considering buying another one just to snap the stand off, not sure if I'll waste my money though...

Darth Duranium

08-16-2008, 01:59 PM

Hey DW... love the Strine... think I've gone troppo or something...

Weird that they've skipped Wave 1 & 2 and just released Wave 3 in Oz... does this mean you're gonna get stiffed for those waves?

In Canada, we get the waves within a week of the US, usually... sometimes a week or two earlier. We're stoked to see the big box nightmares (TRU, WM, etc) carrying the Titaniums again... last year was not good and many of us were stuck going to Brick and Mortar collectible shops for 'em. Pain in the arse... but this time WM had Wave 2 ahead of all of the others.

Thanks for the info on the TIE Defender... I expect that the plastic wings are similar to the plastic used on the Hyperspace rings on the JSF. I guess we better make sure that room temp never goes above 20 degrees C. More of an issue in Oz than Canada, I'd expect...

I'd expect we'll see a lot more plastic on upcoming ships...

Blue2th

08-21-2008, 12:41 PM

This Titanium wave is hitting the states. I went into a local TRU and noticed a guy with two new ones in his hands. He let me see the MTT and an Imperial Landing Craft.
I know the whole wave was there earlier, but I was a half hour late from the 10:00 AM opening. :mad:
So I'm definitely going to keep my eyes peeled.